How to Record Spotify with Audacity on Mac/Windows

Part 1. How to Record Spotify with Audacity on Mac/Windows Officially

Audacity is specialized in recording audio from both a microphone and computer playback. It allows you to export audio to MP3, WAV, FLAC, and other audio formats. So, you can use it to record Spotify music to multiple formats so as to become compatible with more devices. With Audacity, you can also add effects to Spotify tracks and mix the recorded Spotify files according to your needs. Below are the steps how Audacity record Spotify music.

Step 1Open Audacity Spotify Ripper

After installing Audacity on your Mac/Windows computer, please launch it from the computer desktop. Then hit the 'Edit' button from the top-left toolbar. Next, select the 'Preferences' option.

Step 2Set up Playback Devices to Record Spotify Music

Next, in the new window, choose 'Audio Settings' from the left-side menu list. Then pick up the 'Windows WASAPI' option in the 'Host' box under the 'Interface' section. On Mac, choose 'Core Audio' in the Host box.

Step 3Turn Software Playthrough Off for Recording

It's necessary to turn Software Playthrough off when recording computer playback in Audacity. To do this, please select 'Transport' > 'Transport Options' > 'Software Playthrough' to turn it off. (Or, you can do it by tapping the 'Recording' option under the 'Audacity Preferences' section.)

Step 4Start Recording Spotify with Audacity

How to import songs from Spotify to Audacity for recording? There is no need to do this. You can simply press the red 'Record' button in your Audacity. After that, please play Spotify music that you'd like to record. Then Audacity will automatically record from Spotify in real time. When all audio is recorded well, simply click the 'Stop' icon.

Step 5Save Spotify recordings to MP3

Locate and click on the 'File' option at the top menu bar. Then choose 'Export' > 'Export as MP3'. At last, click 'Save' to keep Spotify songs to your computer.

Pros	✔Support multiple audio editing, like trimming, cutting, etc. ✔Support to record music from Spotify, Deezer, and so on ✔Output audio files to MP3, FLAC, AIFF, and more audio formats
Cons	❌A little bit difficult to use ❌Can't block ads while recording ❌Can't record audio track in batches

Part 2. Alternatives to Spotify Audacity to Download and Record Spotify to MP3

The above part is about how to record music from Spotify with Audacity on Mac and Windows. Yet, it is quite complicated to operate. In this case, is there an easier method to record from Spotify without using Audacity?

Yes. In this section, we will show you two alternatives to Audacity. One is a professional Spotify music downloader, and the other is a simpler Spotify audio recorder. They can both be used to record and download Spotify music on Mac and Windows.

No.1 AudFree Spotify Music Downloader

AudFree Spotify Music Downloader is a professional downloader for Spotify music. It is easy to use. No need to play Spotify songs one by one, it provides a simple way to load Spotify tracks in batches. Besides, it allows you to download real files of Spotify songs, playlists, albums, podcasts, and audiobooks losslessly.

You can also set the output format for Spotify to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, Lossless, etc. Besides, you are able to customize the output parameters like the channel, bit rate, and so on. With a 13X faster download speed, you can save a lot of time and energy. Even this, the original sound quality as well as all the ID3 tags will be fully preserved.

You can now install this downloader on your Windows or Mac computer by clicking the 'Download' button below.

Now, follow the steps below to learn how to use this smart tool to record from Spotify without using Audacity.

Step 1Import Spotify Music/Playlists/Albums

Different from Audacity, this smart tool offers 2 easy ways to add Spotify songs. You can drag and drop songs from the Spotify app to this software directly. Alternatively, it's able to click on the Spotify music, and hit the '+ ♫' icon at the right side on the AudFree tool. Then tap the 'Add to list' button and it will load Spotify songs in batches.

Step 2Define Output Format for Spotify Songs

To open the setting window, please click the Menu icon > 'Preferences' > 'Conversion' option. In the pop-up window, you can adjust the output format, channel, sample rate, bit rate, and more. Also, it's possible to skip this step and directly download Spotify songs to MP3 by default.

Step 3Start to Download and Record Spotify with AudFree SpoDable

There is a big 'Convert' button at the Converting interface of the AudFree Spotify Music Converter. Please click it to launch the download process. Then you can click the 'Converted' button to locate all lossless Spotify files and transfer them to other devices for playback anytime.

Pros

✔Support to download any audio content from Spotify, like playlists, albums, podcasts, etc. ✔Support to convert Spotify music files to multiple common audio formats ✔Support to convert Spotify audio in batches fastly with high quality and full ID3 tags kept ✔Support to alter sample rate, bit rate, audio channel, etc. ✔Support to remove ads from Spotify music tracks ✔Support to listen to Spotify songs anywhere and anytime offline

Cons

❌Only work on Windows and Mac computers

No.2 AudFree Audio Capture

AudFree Audio Capture is another alternative to Audacity. It is also a powerful audio recorder on desktop but simpler than Audacity. You can use it to record Spotify to MP3, AIFF, FLAC, WMA, AAC, WAV, etc. The recorded Spotify music files are high quality with full ID3 tags and able to be played on other portable devices. Also, you can split, trim, merge, and edit the recorded Spotify songs as you want.

Step 1Open AudFree Audio Capture and Set the Basic Settings

Open AudFree Audio Capture and click the 'Select/Add an App' section in the main screen. Then you can head to add the installed programs from your computer to it.

Step 2Customize Spotify Output Format

Please click the 'Format' section at the bottom and choose an audio format like MP3, etc. Then you need to choose an outoput audio quality and hit the 'settings' icon next to the quality. After that, a format settings window will show and you can change the encoder, channel, bit rate, and so on. Remember to click 'Create and apply' to save the changes.

Step 3Play and Record Spotify Music

Now, please choose the 'Spotify' option from the list and hit 'Start'. Then it will show you the Spotify app and you can play the music you want to record. Then AudFree Audio Capture will record your playing Spotify music automatically. You will see the recording process in main window.

Step 4Edit and Save Spotify Recordings

To stop the recording process, you just need to quit the Spotify app or press the 'Stop' button on the AudFree tool. After recording, you can edit the Spotify recordings as you want. Finally, please touch the 'Save' option to save Spotify music in the destination folder. You can also locate the recorded files in the 'History' section in the AudFree program.

Pros	✔Support to record multiple audio tracks at the same time ✔Support to record audio from streaming services, video platforms and so on ✔Support to split and edit recorded audio tracks ✔Support to personalize ID3 tags of soundtracks
Cons	❌Doesn't work on mobile device

Part 3. Comparison between Audacity and Its Alternatives

We've shown you how to record Spotify with Audacity and its two best alternatives. They are both powerful tools, but there are still some differences between them. We have summarized their differences in the chart below. Please check.

	Audacity	AudFree Spotify Downloader	AudFree Audio Capture
Compatible OS	Mac, Windows, Linux	Mac, Windows	Mac, Windows
Supported Input Format	Any sound	Audio from Spotify	Any sound
Supported Output Format	WAV, AIFF, OGG, FLAC, MP3, AU	MP3, FLAC, M4A, AIFF, Lossless, WAV, M4B	MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A, M4B, AMR, MKA, WMA, OGG, AIFF, etc.
Output Bit Rate	❌	8-320kbp	8-320kbps
Output Sample Rate	❌	8000-48000Hz	8000-192000Hz
Download/Record Speed	1X	13X	1X
Customize Output Quality	❌	✔	✔
Archive Output Tracks	❌	✔	✔
Keep ID3 Tags	❌	✔	✔
Easy to Use	❌	✔	✔
Block Ads from Audio	❌	✔	✔
Batch Recording & Downloading	❌	✔	✔
Rating	⭐️⭐️⭐️	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Part 4. FAQs about Audacity Spotify

Below are some frequently asked questions about Spotify Audacity. You can check them to have a better understanding.

Q1: Can Audacity Record Spotify or Other Streaming Audio?

A: Yes, Audacity can record from lots of streaming audio including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal music, etc.

Q2: Why Should We Record Spotify Music?

A: Tracks downloaded by Spotify cannot be played outside of the Spotify application. If the device is not compatible with the Spotify app, you cannot enjoy Spotify songs even with a Premium membership.

But if you record Spotify streaming audio, it's all solved. Whether you're using a Spotify Free or Premium account, you can do the following things. You can listen to Spotify songs offline without ads. You can get local Spotify tracks encoded in MP3 format. Then it's possible to play Spotify on all devices, players, speakers, etc., without the need to install the Spotify app.

Q3: Can You Use Audacity with Spotify?

A: Yes, you can record Spotify with Audacity. You can also download and record music from Spotify with AudFree Spotify Downloader or AudFree Audio Capture.

Part 5. In Conclusion

This is how to record from Spotify with Audacity. Without a doubt, Audacity is the best tool for recording Spotify music for free. However, it is quite complex to use. So, we also present to you the two best alternatives to Audacity. One is also a recording tool called AudFree Audio Capture. And the other is a professional downloader called AudFree Spotify Downloader. They are professional tools to help you download Spotify music as local files with high quality. You can choose any one of them to get Spotify music according to your needs.